Face it: Politics has gotten a lot more complicated since the days when "stump speech" meant the candidate really did get up on a stump and deliver an articulate, hourlong oration clearly laying out his stands on the issues of the day. That was then, this is now. In the era of sound bites and push polls, wedge issues and focus groups, voters are more likely to arrive at election day feeling manipulated by the political pros than masters of the democratic process. No wonder our voter turnout is one of the worst in the world.

But it doesn't have to be that way. With a little intelligent effort, you can learn how to navigate the tricky waters of a political campaign. This Political Primer will help you do just that. It's designed for the high-schooler who may be casting his or her first vote this fall -- and it's equally useful for the middle-ager who's sick and tired of the barrage of advertising and gimmickry that increasingly dominate our campaigns.

Read it, test yourself on our political quiz, and sharpen your wits on the accompanying projects... and you'll be ready to make your next vote a savvy one.

Table of contents

1. Where do they stand? Pinning down the candidates on issues.
2. Follow the money: Campaign financing as a roadmap.
3. Polls: The measuring stick of modern politics.
4. Sales job: Ads, the press, and the spin cycle.
5. The character question: It's important, but what does it mean?
6. Initiatives: Grassroots - or astroturf democracy?
7. Endorsements: How we do them, how you can use them.

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